One of the difficulties encountered in the sport of archery, even by experienced archers, is maintaining the bow in a steady state condition while aiming and firing an arrow. As the archer must grasp the bow with one hand while utilizing the other hand to pull back on the bow string, the tension forces exerted on the bow require a firm grip on the handle during string pull-back and to prevent the bow from springing out of the archer's hand upon release of the bow string. Muscle fatigue and cramping in the bow hand and arm are often experienced which leads to inaccuracy.
In an attempt to overcome these difficulties, a variety of bow slings have been proposed to assist the archer during aiming and firing of an arrow, and such bow slings may also be utilized to assist the archer in carrying the bow. A typical bow sling consists of a strap or glove like member which is attachable to the bow adjacent the handle and has a loop or glove like portion adapted to receive the archer's wrist or bow hand to support the bow against the archer's palm as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,055,354 and 4,714,071. The bow slings are securely tightened to the archer's hand, or wrist, and the bow by adjustable portions. This permits the archer to relax the hand during aiming and firing of an arrow for improved accuracy, and permits the archer to carry or hold the bow without having to grip it with the hand.
Although such bow slings have experienced some degree of success, the bow slings themselves are not quickly applied to the wrist or hand and require tightening which is an inconvenience for the archer. Thus, it is not possible for the archer to conveniently or quickly fire a shot with the bow while utilizing the bow sling unless the bow sling has been previously applied. However, as such bow slings restrict the archer's hand to the bow, freedom of movement of the archer's hand and arm are lost once the sling is applied. While harness type slings are available which facilitate carrying of an archery bow in a hands free condition such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,998,367 such harness type slings are not adapted to assist the archer in steadying the bow during aiming and firing of an arrow.
It is an object of the invention to provide a bow sling which is adapted to assist the archer in steadying the bow during aiming and firing of an arrow for improved accuracy wherein the bow sling is not applied to the archer's wrist or hand.
Another object of the invention is to provide a bow sling which is adapted to assist the archer in maintaining the bow in a steady state condition during aiming and firing of an arrow and also permits the bow to be carried in a hands free condition.
A further object of the invention is to provide a bow sling which permits the archer to conveniently and quickly reposition the bow between carrying and firing positions.
Yet a further object of the invention is to provide a bow sling comprising a strap primarily formed of elastomeric material wherein one end of the strap is adapted to be attached to the bow and the other end around a portion of the archer's body, and upon raising the bow to a firing position, the elasticity of the bow sling tends to bias the bow against the archer's palm permitting the archer's hand to relax.
Another object of the invention is to provide a bow sling which is adapted to be utilized with a variety of bows and is readily adjustable to meet the needs of a particular archer.
Still a further object of the invention is to provide a bow sling which is durable, simple to use, and economical to manufacture.
In the practice of the invention the bow sling is adapted to be utilized in conjunction with an archery bow having a pair of limbs extending in opposite directions from a handle and having a bow string extending between the outer ends of the limbs. The bow sling comprises an elongated strap formed of an elastomeric material, such as rubber, having a pair of legs extending from one end. Each leg is provided with a pair of complementary fastener portions for snapping the end of the legs shut in a loop upon doubling the legs back over upon themselves, and a plurality of spaced snap fasteners are affixed to the elongated strap along the length thereof.
The bow sling also includes a loop forming non-elastic strap having a pair of ends and a fastener affixed thereto adjacent each end adapted to releasably snap with any one of the spaced snap fasteners on the elongated strap to form an adjustable size loop adjacent the end of the elongated strap opposite the legs. The bow sling is applied to the bow simply by snapping the legs' loops to the bow limbs such that one leg is attached to each side of the bow's handle.
In use, the adjustable loop is received around the archer's bow string pulling shoulder such that the elongated strap extends behind the archer's neck and back over the shoulder of the bow holding arm to support the bow in front of the archer in a carrying position. In the carrying position, the bow sling permits the bow to be conveniently and quickly grasped and raised to a firing, position, in which case the archer's arm is fully extended and the elasticity of the bow sling draws and supports the bow against the archer's palm permitting the archer's hand to relax during aiming and firing of an arrow to assist the archer in steadying the bow for improved firing accuracy.
The adjustable loop permits the overall length of the bow sling to be readily adjusted to meet the needs of a particular archer while the legs' loops are readily adapted to be attached to a variety of bows. If desired, the bow sling may be utilized to transport the bow in a hands free condition against the archer's back. This is accomplished simply by attaching one of the legs to the same bow limb as the other leg and then snapping the adjustable loop portion about the opposite limb as to that of which the legs are fastened to form a harness adapted to extend across the archer's chest.